Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ Sells to Netflix

Netflix has beaten out the competition for Richard Linklater‘s Cannes darling “Nouvelle Vague” after the film debuted in competition at the festival, Variety has confirmed.

Because the film was purchased by the streaming giant, a theatrical window is not guaranteed outside of the mandatory two weeks it needs in cinemas for awards consideration. This fact comes with a tinge of irony, considering that “Nouvelle Vague” is an homage to Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” which is widely considered one of the most important achievements in all of cinema.

The film received a six-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at its Cannes debut, visibly moving a crowd that included “Pulp Fiction” director Quentin Tarantino.

“It means so much for us to be here tonight. Over a year ago we were filming right here,” Linklater said at the premiere. “And we all said: ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could end up here showing our movie. It would be crazy to be here.’ And here we are! Cinema is magic. It meant so much to us to try and recreate the time and place. It means so much in film history, and it meant so much to each cast member, every crew member. Everybody worked so hard to try and get it right and recreate this moment. And thank you for this moment.”

“Nouvelle Vague” is Linklater’s retelling of how the French New Wave masterpiece came to life. Guillaume Marbeck plays Godard, starring alongside Zoey Deutch, Jean Seberg and Aubry Dullin. The project marks Linklater’s first film shot in French.